Dems pursue ambitious agenda on Hill

Democratic congressional leaders expect to pass a massive economic-stimulus package and other pieces of long-sought legislation - such as expanded stem-cell research funding and more money for poor children’s medical insurance - in the first several weeks of the 111th Congress.

However, several top lawmakers are backing off their more extravagant early vows, to have economic legislation passed before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office and their party assumes full responsibility for Washington’s performance.

Even if it completes those tasks, Congress will have its plate piled high with Democrats’ campaign promises for sweeping changes to everything from the health care system to how the country generates and uses energy.

Mr. Obama will meet Monday with the Democratic leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, to discuss the economic stimulus.

The plan is expected to spend heavily on New Deal-style infrastructure projects and could cost as much as $775 billion, stirring opposition from Republican and Democratic budget hawks.

But two of Congress’ top Democrats said Mr. Obama probably will have to wait until mid-February to sign any big economic bills, and that an Inauguration Day deadline was unrealistic.

“It’s going to be very difficult to get the package put together that early,” House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “But we certainly want to see this package passed through the House of Representatives no later than the end of this month, get it over to the Senate, and have it to the president before we break” in mid-February.

Mr. Reid said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his chamber will do its “very, very best” to complete and pass a bill as soon as possible, but refused to commit to any deadline.

“We’re going to get it done as quickly as we can,” he said.

Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama’s pick for press secretary, told reporters aboard the flight carrying the president-elect to the Washington area that he agreed with Mr. Hoyer that it was “very, very unlikely” an economic stimulus package would be ready by Jan. 20.

“We don’t anticipate that Congress will have passed [in] both houses an economic recovery and reinvestment plan by the time the inauguration takes places.”

Other Democratic aims for the session are to create a universal health care system; mandate a national electronic medical records system; redirect energy spending to renewables such as wind, solar and biofuels; modernize the country’s electric power distribution grid; impose lower carbon-emissions standards to address climate change; rebuild the armed forces and reprioritize defense spending; place tougher regulations on Wall Street; and consider comprehensive immigration reform.

Any one of these proposals would be daunting.

Together, the plans amount to an attempt to transform the federal government, and Democrats say their political future depends on accomplishing that feat.

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